Can you coinche your partner?
Updated
The answer is no: you can only coinche the opposing team, never your own partner.
Why it's impossible
To coinche is to bet that the team holding the contract will fail. Since you and your partner are on the same team, coinching them would mean betting against yourself. So the rule is simple: you only coinche the opponents who just won the auction.
Who can coinche, and when
- Only a player on the defending team (the one that did not take the bid) may coinche.
- The coinche is called before the first card is played, once the contract is set.
- After a coinche, the team that took the bid may surcoinche if they feel confident.
When your partner is declarer
If your partner took the contract, you do nothing unusual: you simply help them make it by playing well. You neither coinche nor overbid them. Your job is to bring your tricks to the team, for instance by loading their winning tricks with your big cards (10, Ace) to swell the total.
Example: what a coinche puts at stake
East-West take the bid at 100 in spades. You and North, your partner, are defending: only you two can coinche. Using the coincheur.fr scale:
- Without a coinche: if East-West take 104 points, they score 104 + 100, so 204, and you score 58. If they fail, you score 162 + 100, so 262.
- With a coinche: the winning side scores 162 + 100 × 2, so 362, and the other side nothing (apart from belote).
You can see why coinching your own side would be absurd: you'd double your team's loss if it failed. The coinche is a weapon against the opponents, and it's expensive when you're wrong. For when to use it, see when to coinche the opponents.
What you can do when your partner took the bid
- Support them by raising in their suit if your hand helps (trumps, Aces): a way of saying “we can aim higher.” See raising above your partner's bid.
- Pass if you have nothing to add.
- Surcoinche if the opponents coinche and you can secure the contract: the surcoinche belongs to your team.
Want to practise? Play coinche online for free: tunable AIs and a coach are waiting for you on Coincheur.See also
FAQ
Can you coinche your partner?
No. You only coinche the opposing team that won the contract, never your own partner.
Who is allowed to coinche?
Only the two players on the team that did not take the contract can coinche, and only before the first card is played.
If the opponents coinche my partner, can I surcoinche?
At most tables, yes: the surcoinche is open to the team that took the bid, so to both partners. Only do it if your hand makes the contract truly solid.
Why is a wrong coinche so costly?
Because it multiplies the stakes: on the coincheur.fr scale, if the opponents' contract makes, they score twice the contract value on top of 162 points, instead of just the points they took.